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Monday, September 30, 2013

Mastering her
Progressive Empath abilities isn’t going as well as Gemma hoped. In
fact, months after finding out what she really is, she still has no clue
what this truly means. All she can do is wait to see if any new
abilities will eventually manifest. Things aren’t going great with Russ
either. Unsure of how to handle her Sentient Link with him, she tries to
integrate herself in his busy social life but struggles to adjust to
her new circumstances.

When she is plagued by recurring
nightmares, Gemma realises things are changing and knows she has to do
something, fast. The arrival of two sets of strangers in town, both
offering the much needed assistance she needs to unearth her powers,
escalates the situation even further. Gemma attempts to decipher whose
intentions are genuine, but does she have enough time to figure out who
has her best interest at heart?

Friday, September 27, 2013

I really liked book 1 and I'm about to read the sequel. You can read my review for book 1: HERE.

Quantum Entanglement (Interchron #2)

by Liesel K. Hill

Five months after
traveling to a post-apocalyptic future where collectives reign supreme
and individuals have been hunted to the verge of extinction, Maggie
Harper was returned to her own time until the threat to her life could
be neutralized. She thought Marcus and the others would return for her
within a few weeks, and now she’s beginning to worry.

When
travelers from the future finally show up to collect her, it’s not who
she expected. With the return of her memories, she wants more than ever
to see Marcus again, but a snake-like woman whose abilities are a
perfect match for Maggie’s, an injured Traveler, and decades of civil
unrest to wade through all stand in the way of their reunion.

Meanwhile,
Marcus and Karl traipse through the countryside, trying to neutralize
Colin, who’s promised to brutalize and murder Maggie if he can get his
hands on her. When a collective woman is left for dead, Marcus heals
her, hoping she’ll be the key to killing Colin and bringing Maggie back.
But she may prove as much a hindrance as a help.

The team
struggles to get their bearings, but things happen faster than they
know. The collectives are coalescing, power is shifting, and the one
called B is putting sinister plans into action. If the team can’t
reunite and get a handle on the situation, their freedom and
individuality—perhaps their very identity—will be ripped away before
they can catch their breath.

Hello Wonderful Readers! Thanks for having
me here and special thanks to Ruty for hosting me today. In my newest novel, Quantum Entanglement, Book 2 of
Interchron, everyone’s favorite time Traveler, Karl, is faced with a difficult
task. He has to babysit a collectivist woman and endeavors to convince her of
the evils of collective living, trying to turn her to the individualist side of
the Force.

It’s not as easy as it sounds. To find out how
Karl did, you’ll have to check out Quantum
Entanglement. But, it occurs to me that some of my readers may have been
faced with this exact dilemma sometime in the past, or may be faced with it in
the future. (Most of us are actively making plans to survive the dystopian
apocalypse, right?) So, I thought I’d share some tips on how to convince
collectivists to join us in the sunlight of individualism.

1. Get
them to trust you. This will require some outside-the-box thinking on your
part. Collectivists are always VERY suspicious of individuals, especially right
after they emerge from the collective. Karl’s solution was to give the
collectivist a rock and tell her that if she felt threatened, she could throw
it at him. Unfortunately for Karl, she took him up on the offer. I wouldn’t
recommend this technique unless you’re certain you can keep the collectivist
from victimizing you. You’ll probably have to read their body language and
over-analyze what they say to determine what their fears are and put them at rest.
So, it’s simple, really. Just become a psychiatrist in your own right and
you’ll breeze right through this step.

2. Explain
to them logically why individualism is just better than collectivism. This
is something you’ll want to put together beforehand and practice. Collectivists
will know their stuff and you don’t want to debate with them until you know
yours. Otherwise, you might find yourself considering collective life yourself.
Warning:
this step can be VERY frustrating. Chances are, words alone won’t convince them
of anything. But this step is necessary to build a groundwork in their minds so
that when you show them a real world example, (see step 3) they have a frame of
reference for it. Make sure to prepare yourself for the sensation of arguing with
a pencil sharpener.

3. Real
World Experience. After drilling the arguments into your collectivist’s
head, they’re going to need to see individualism in action. This will need to
be a profoundly emotional experience for it to work. Show them a family being
loving to one another, a parent shedding a tear at the accomplishments of a
child, the devotion in a romantic relationship. Something that will showcase
the emotions of individualism. Note:
A tragedy will work best to drive the emotional point home. No, don’t put
friends and family through tragedy just to prove a point. This is where books
or films will work in your favor. Notebook
‘em. Or make them sit through the end of Titanic.
Whatever it takes to show them that our emotions are what make us human, and
are the most beautiful part of being an individual. And that us hardcore
individualists wouldn’t give up the passion we feel for all the safety the
collectivists can offer.

Go through these three steps with your
collectivist. Repeat if necessary. If you still don’t find success, you may be
dealing with a collectivist that will just have to make the decision
independent of you. But even then, don’t despair. According to the concept of
quantum entanglement, all things that have an impact on one another will
continue to impact each other for all time. You will have changed your
collectivist simply by showing them their own humanity. Even if it takes years,
they will return to it in some form.

Ever since childhood, Luke’s nights have been plagued by
nightmares centered around a beautiful woman and a malevolent monster.
Despite the sleeplessness and debilitating dreams, Luke’s life has been
fairly normal—that is, until he learns that this beautiful woman is
real.

Even more bizarre? This woman has been dreaming about him as well.
Suddenly Luke finds his world spiraling into an unknown realm when he
discovers the profound link he has with this woman.

Powerful forces have
placed them in the center of a timeless battle between good and evil,
and Luke finds himself facing enemies and friends who conspire to keep
him from the truth—a truth that may end up costing him the woman he
loves…and maybe even his life.
If the woman of his dreams has turned out to be real, could the monster
be real too?

Thy Will Be Done is a refreshingly modern take on the age-old conflict
between light and dark. With its memorable characters and whirlwind of a
plot, this book promises to be an unforgettable experience.

Ruty: Why did you
decided to write it?Julie: It started out
as a small idea that never went away. It took the inspiration and the support
of a good friend for me to start putting the words on paper. After I started, I
couldn’t stop. I loved this fictional world and the characters I was creating,
and it was this love that compelled me to finish this book.

Ruty: How did you
get your book published?Julie: It is very
difficult for a first time author to get noticed and published, and being a
full time 10th grade English teacher, I didn’t have the resources or
the time to pursue that option. I’ve heard of many authors who have succeeded
in self-publishing, and it seemed like the best choice for my circumstances.

Ruty: What is
special about your book?Julie: Without giving
anything away, I have delved into an area, that as far as I know, not many
authors have explored. I have characters of the biblical nature existing in
today’s world, and I have a wonderful twist at the end that hopefully you will
not see coming.

Ruty: How long took
you to write it?Julie: It took me
about three years to write Thy Will Be Done
mostly because I’m working full time as a high school teacher. It’s hard to find the energy to create after
a full day with teenagers.

Ruty: Did you do any
kind of research for writing it?Julie: I did some
rereading of certain Bible stories, and I loved looking at the variation of
these stories from all different faiths.
It was very enlightening.

Ruty: Luke is a
really interesting character. How was writing about him and his chaotic head? Julie: The readers
meet Luke at a very dark time in his life. I can’t say I can relate to Luke’s problems, but I understand dealing
with issues beyond your control and how frustrating that can be. I wanted the readers to feel the pain and
helplessness that Luke was enduring. It
was a difficult place to go, and I found myself feeling a lot of sympathy for
him. But throughout his ordeal, I never
wanted him to lose hope, and I never wanted him to give up in finding happiness.
I hope the readers felt that, as well.

Ruty: How do you
manage the religious aspect of the book? Aren’t you worried that some readers
might not like it?Julie: Believe it or
not, I don’t see my book as a religious
book. I see it as taking characters we
all know and love and putting them in a completely different situation. Being a Christian myself, it was important
that I respect people’s beliefs and I tried to keep the religious aspect of my
book as neutral as possible. I want my
story to appeal, not just to Christians, but to everyone who likes a good
thriller and love story. Of course, I
wish everyone will love my book, but I know that isn’t going to happen. It’s hard creating something from your heart
and soul and putting it out there for criticism, but it was a leap I wanted to
make. I just hope that the criticisms
are fair, and I am willing to learn from them to make the next book better.

Ruty: I know you are
you working on a sequel. How is it going? When are you planning to release it?Julie: The sequel is
going well, but it’s going a little slower than I would like. I got quite a bit done during the summer
months, but now that I’m back at work, my time for writing is limited. Now that I have a little more experience
under my belt, I hope to have the book done by next summer.

Ruty: What can you
tell about the sequel?Julie: In the sequel,
Luke is in a better place in his life, but he is very afraid that his happiness
is going to be ripped away from him and that his past will come back to haunt him
once again. Without giving too much away, he is going to
find himself dealing with some of the same characters from the first book, but
I am also introducing another character that is going to cause some brand new
problems. As much as I would love Luke to live happily ever after, I just can’t
let that happen right now.

From the award-winning, bestselling author Karpov Kinrade (the new pen name for Kimberly Kinrade.)

Those inside are special, gifted with unique abilities, abilities that make them dangerous to the outside world.

Since childhood, they're trained to control their powers, to show restraint, and to defend themselves. For years they practice, honing their gifts for one purpose: to be rented out to the highest bidder as a spy, to be used as a weapon against others.
Sam never questions her role at the secret organization dubbed Rent-A-Kid.
Until she meets Drake.

She reads minds. He controls minds. Together, they might get out alive.

Dmytry and Kimberly are the husband and wife writing team behind the Kiss Me Series, Seduced Saga, Eye of Newt, Sunrise & Nightfall, Wanderlust, and The Fallen Series.
Kimberly is the award-winning, bestselling author of the New Adult paranormal romance series The Seduced Saga, the YA paranormal thriller/romance The Forbidden Trilogy, and children’s fantasy series The Three Lost Kids.
Dmytry writes fantasy—be it urban, dark or epic—is a musical composer, pianist, and designs books covers (exclusively for his wife’s and their co-authored books).
They live with three little girls who think they’re ninja princesses with super powers and who are also showing a propensity for telling tall tales and using the written word to weave stories of wonder and magic.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Today I welcome author Jamie Baywood and her book "Getting Rooted in New Zealand". She was kind enough to provide an interview and also has offered an ecopy of her book to a lucky winner. Keep reading and find out more :)

Craving change and lacking logic, at 26, Jamie, a cute and quirky
Californian, impulsively moves to New Zealand to avoid dating after
reading that the country's population has 100,000 fewer men. In her
journal, she captures a hysterically honest look at herself, her past
and her new wonderfully weird world filled with curious characters and
slapstick situations in unbelievably bizarre jobs. It takes a zany jaunt
to the end of the Earth and a serendipitous meeting with a fellow
traveler before Jamie learns what it really means to get rooted.

Jamie Baywood grew up in Petaluma, California. In 2010, she made the
most impulsive decision of her life by moving to New Zealand. Getting Rooted in
New Zealand is her first book about her experiences living there. Jamie is now
married and living happily ever after in the United Kingdom. She is working on
her second book.

The Interview...

First let me tell you that I love the idea of
travelling impulsively somewhere far away from home. Let’s start from the beginning…

Ruty: Why did you decide to leave your home?Jamie:Growing up in California, it was always my dream to live abroad. By the age of twenty-six, I was actually much
happier being alone than dating, but I was completely bombarded by guys trying
to date me.

Ruty: Why New Zealand?Jamie:I read in a New Zealand tour book that the country’s
population has 100,000 fewer men than women.
I wanted to have some me time and an adventure. New Zealand seemed like
a good place to do so. I found a work abroad company that helped
young Americans get work visas in New Zealand and Australia. Within a couple of
weeks of making the decision to go to New Zealand I was on a plane.

Ruty: How long were you there?Jamie:I lived and
worked in Auckland, New Zealand for over a year. It wasn’t a holiday; I set up
a life for myself. I worked Monday through Friday, paid bills, went grocery
shopping, joined a gym, etc . I also made an art collective with a group of
friends and performed a monologue in a play for Thomas Sainsbury.

Ruty: Did you know from the start that you were
going to write about your journey?Jamie:I consider
myself an accidental author. I didn’t go to New Zealand with the intentions of
writing a book about my experiences there. I had funny experiences that I had
trouble believing were true. I wrote the stories down to stay sane. I wrote
situations down that were happening around me and shared them with friends. The
stories made people laugh so I decided to organize the stories into a book and
publish in the hopes to make others laugh too.

Ruty: Were you keeping a diary of your time
there?Jamie:I didn’t start keeping a diary or writing until I moved to New Zealand. I wrote to keep in touch with friends and
family. I saved the emails that
eventually became my book.

I was very lucky in New Zealand to meet a lot
of talented people. I had the opportunity to write and perform for Thomas
Sainsbury the most prolific playwright in New Zealand. I performed a monologue
about my jobs in the Basement Theatre in Auckland.

The funny thing about that experience was Tom
kept me separated from the other performers until it was time to perform. I was
under the impression that all the performers were foreigners giving their
experiences in New Zealand. All of the other performers were
professional actors telling stories that weren’t their own. At first I was
mortified, but the audience seemed to enjoy my “performance,” laughing their
way through my monologue.

After the shows we would go out and mingle with
the audience. People would ask me how long I had been acting. I would tell
them, “I wasn’t acting; I have to go to work tomorrow and sit next to the girl
wearing her dead dog’s collar.” No one believed I was telling the truth.

Ruty: How do you feel about sharing your
experience with the whole world?Jamie:Publishing my
story was one the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done. I barely slept the
first half of the year worrying what people would think of my book. Publishing my book was my
way of transforming poison into medicine. I hope that it can help people that
have had bad dating experiences or bad work experiences – make them
laugh and not give up hope.

Ruty: Were there any experiences left out? Or did
you include everything despite being embarrassing or something?Jamie:It would be
impossible to write down every single thing that happened and it probably
wouldn’t be interesting to read. All the stories I wrote in Getting Rooted in New Zealand are true.
I had good, bad and weird experiences in both California and New Zealand and
was honest about them. Some experiences were embarrassing and I included them
as well. My writing was one of the things that initially attracted my husband
to me when we first met. He has been very supportive and encouraging of me
publishing. I tried my best to respect his privacy during the process and he
vetoed a few stories about him from the book that made him blush.

I am a
flawed human being and not attempting to hide it. Although
I hope that I have learned from my mistakes, I wouldn’t change anything. My
experiences have turned me into a writer and I am extremely grateful for that.

Ruty: By reading some of the reviews I get the
impression that yours is a funny book. I imagine that some moments weren’t that
funny while you were living them, how was writing about them?Jamie:It was really
therapeutic for me to write. Rather than having the experiences swirling in my
head, they were out and that freed me.

Ruty: I know you are working on a new book, can
we know what it is about? Jamie: For the past three years, I’ve been
disassembling and reassembling my life by moving to different countries. I’ve
lived in five countries now; America, American Samoa, New Zealand, Scotland and
now England. I plan to publish another book next year about attempting to
settle in Scotland.

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Hello again :) How is everyone doing?? Here in Uruguay finally we see the sun after a week of rain.

Today is time for a new review. This time the publisher contacted me for reviewing this book and I really wanted to like it but it just didn't work.

Keep reading and decided if you would like to read it.

Planet Willie

by Josh Shoemake

Willie Lee is a highly
unusual angel. Irreverent, hilarious, and politically incorrect to the
extreme, he tends to make the most of his time on Planet Earth whenever
he gets sent down as a detective in the Paradise Police Department, Lost
Souls Division, to re-inhabit the body that was woefully lost to him
when some misguided stranger put a bullet through the back of his pretty
head, four years, eight months, and fifteen days ago.

Now
Willie's on the trail of a beautiful art dealer named Fernanda Shore who
may have stolen her father's prized painting and who's wandered far off
the straight and narrow. Not that Willie's complaining. He's looking
for any excuse to extend his investigation in any direction that enables
him to prolong his time away from the boring clouds and back in his old
body on earth. Which partially explains the belly dancers, the fine
Western apparel, the Albanian terrorists, the cape, the bourbon, the
nuns, and the cliffs of Acapulco.

Et cetera.

Because for
Willie it's the et cetera that makes life worth living, as long and as
hard as they’ll let him. And in the meantime he might just figure out
who shot him.

Willie Lee is supposed to be this sort of detective- angel who likes to spend his time here on Earth. He is the main character of a different type of book. If you are looking for something completely out of the ordinary this book is for you.

Let’s start with the good points. A story told from Willie point of view. A sarcastic and funny narrator, who is not afraid of speak his mind and seem careless at times. His personality is hard to get at first, with some shocking attitudes or sayings he ends up being this comical man-angel-private investigator who only wants to have a good time in the afterlife.

The plot is interesting because if you mix theology with an organized police division you will surely get an original background. However, the plot was one of the issues I struggled with. For me is not well polish and it could have been explained differently or exploited in a deeper manner to create a more solid plan.

The story has a lot of coming and going, Willie gets in touch with the craziest characters and most of them are funny in their own way. Once you think things couldn’t get any weirder, they do. And most scenes work effectively but there comes a point where you just had enough and it happens in this book.

In my opinion the author made a great job creating an original book, writing about a character with an unique voice but it just didn’t work out as it should have.

My main problem was that for moments the reading felt heavy, the dialogues seem forced or unnatural and the funny situations weren’t that funny.

Overall, if you are looking for a different book you should try this one.

Monday, September 16, 2013

I received a paperback copy from the author and I'm glad to say that I really enjoy the book.

THY WILL BE DONE

by Julie Fisher.

Ever since childhood, Luke’s nights have been plagued by
nightmares centered around a beautiful woman and a malevolent monster.
Despite the sleeplessness and debilitating dreams, Luke’s life has been
fairly normal—that is, until he learns that this beautiful woman is
real.

Even more bizarre? This woman has been dreaming about him as well.
Suddenly Luke finds his world spiraling into an unknown realm when he
discovers the profound link he has with this woman.

Powerful forces have
placed them in the center of a timeless battle between good and evil,
and Luke finds himself facing enemies and friends who conspire to keep
him from the truth—a truth that may end up costing him the woman he
loves…and maybe even his life.
If the woman of his dreams has turned out to be real, could the monster
be real too?

Thy Will Be Done is a refreshingly modern take on the age-old conflict
between light and dark. With its memorable characters and whirlwind of a
plot, this book promises to be an unforgettable experience.

Thy Will Be Done is a paranormal romance with a biblical touch. Luke has been dreaming about the same girl since he was five and all his life he has been comparing the women he dates with her dream girl. But she is not the only one living in his dreams, an awful and terrifying monster has given him nightmares through most nights. Once he discovers the girl is real and has been dreaming about him, their lives will give a turn to an unbelievable world.

As I started reading I was also wondering where Luke was because the first eleven chapters have Nicholas and Ellen as main characters. They are very sweet characters living more than hundred years before our time. This first scenario is really sweet, with the right atmosphere for the era, with lovely dialogues and real feelings.

The minute Luke and present time made their appearance everything got better. Once we get to present time we encounter a fast story, with great dialogues and engaging action. The characters have pretty defined personalities. Luke is really messed up and his life is chaotic but we get to know different sides of him as the story moves on. Abigail is another story, we read a couple times from her point of view but Luke seems to be the key role to the story.

This book is beautifully written and you can sense the author's devotion to the story and the passion with which she wrote it.

Mainly this could be described as the story of two souls who have loved each other since forever. However, is a story about the choices we made and the consequences they have. It’s also a book about forgiveness, about redemption, about humanity and all that makes us who we are.

There are a few moments and situations that are a bit predictable as well as the true identity of some characters. If you are a careful reader you’ll know what I talk about.

Overall, this is a great paranormal romance. Engaging, fast and recommendable for those who like romance with a biblical touch.